Falling
by Knight-Dawn
Summary: In his dreams, he is always falling. He's no longer sure just when he's dreaming and when he's awake. Waking or dreaming, she's always waiting for him. His memories of her are only sleeping; forgotten, not lost. RikuShi, one-shot. Goes with "Two Hearts."


Falling

…

In his dreams, he is always falling.

From the sky, to the sea, back to the shore—the sound of the tide rings in his ears as the waves crash against his feet.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

He is underwater, trapped by the tide, reaching out for someone he can't see. The figure swims toward him frantically before the water pulls them away and the world slips into darkness around the two of them.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

He opens his eyes to see an ocean of stars spread out above him and turns his head to find _her_ there beside him. Hand in hand, they lay there for a while as he watches her sleep in silence.

He feels complete for the first time in a while when he sees her there, he feels like he could stay with her forever.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

He remembers that the mantra he's hearing in the back of his mind isn't _just_ the sound of the tide, it's her _name_. He whispers it into her ears for good measure, and the smile that brightens her face warms his heart.

He promises himself that he won't forget her this time.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

The pieces are all there, locked up in the chains of his memory. Forgotten, but not lost. Sleeping and dreaming in the darkness of oblivion, waiting to be woken up.

He will line the pieces up—_hers and his—_to put them back together, bring her back to where she belongs, truly.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

As dawn approaches, he feels her tense up beside him as she rests her head against his shoulder. His hand tightens around her almost unconsciously—he's not even sure when he took hold of hers, but he doesn't want to let go. He needs to hold on to her, needs to _remember..._

He knows she's counting on him, and he doesn't want to let her down again.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

She opens her eyes and gazes deep into his, and as his heart races he wonders how he could ever forget her eyes—so full of hope, pain, and longing—but he knows that the dream will end all too soon. He hasn't quite gathered enough of the pieces to remember her.

...He's gathered just enough to know he's lost something important to him.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

She tells him she can wait a while longer, but he knows she doesn't want to. He hears the bitterness in her voice when she tells him it's okay. He knows full well that it _isn't_.

It isn't right for him to just forget her, even if _everyone else_ did.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

He isn't even sure what is real and what isn't anymore—waking and dreaming, it all feels the same to him. His world revolves around her whether he knows it or not.

In his dreams, he's always falling—falling further and further into the darkness of the dream-worlds as he fights to wake them up, to wake _her_ up. He never really stops falling, because part of him is _always dreaming of her_, even in a _world without her_.

He just doesn't realize it yet.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

The stars fade in the light of dawn even as the dream-world fades around him, and he holds on to her hand as long as he can—fighting the forces that are trying to pull her away from him, too. It takes all his power to hold on to her, and even then he can feel her slipping away, feel his grip breaking—

She is pulled away by the roaring tide, and he reaches out for her with his empty hand.

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

He wakes up reaching out for her, with his hand held out toward nothing.

He stares at it, heart breaking, not knowing why he hurts so much _all the time_. Not sure what it is that he's missing.

The vertigo in his head leaves him reeling, feeling as though he could fall at any moment, as though he is still falling—

"Xion... xion... xion... xion... xion..."

—Falling for _her._

_...  
_

**Author: **...And Riku's subsequent shout of **"Xion!" **could probably have been heard on the other side of the island.

This is a companion piece to my drabble fic "Two Hearts." Several of the drabbles in that deal with with what's been dubbed "phantom-limb RikuShi." I wanted to expand upon that.The specific chapter I'd say this expands upon is "Picking Up the Pieces," which is from Xion's perspective.

It was kind of fun to work with the scenes and phrases that already exist in the Kingdom Hearts universe with this.\

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my story! Feedback is always appreciated! ^-^


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